When You're Gone
by toxic-dreamer-2
Summary: "No." his voice was thin and scratchy. "I..I'm not okay. I'm not certain I can ever be okay again."


**So Begins the angst! I don't know what has gotten into me! Prepare yourselves!**

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><p>For the longest time Roxanne stood there in silence by the door, watching Megamind work. She braced herself for what was to come as she walked forward, making her presence known (although a part of her was certain he'd been aware of her entering).<p>

She didn't wait for him to acknowledge her with words, or even a glance, and in stead, cut straight to the chase.

"You haven't eaten anything all day, have you?"

She had meant to sound firm and disapproving, but something had stolen away her resolve. Maybe it was her own weariness from lack of sleep, or the heaviness in her heart; either way, her voice wavered.

Megamind didn't look away from the maps spread out on the table before him, and answered in a distracted tone. "I had an eating supplement earlier, and I've been keeping hydrated."

Roxanne glanced down at one of the empty cups that lined the edge of the desk and frowned. Coffee. She wasn't really surprised; Megamind often drank coffee when pulling all-nighters, and it explained half the reason behind his shaky frame. Still, this kind of behavior was becoming excessive and unhealthy.

"You know those pills aren't a sufficient replacement for meals." She stated disapprovingly, "And coffee hardly seems like the best thing to be keeping you hydrated."

Megamind let out a short, impatient sigh.

"Sitting down for a meal would be a complete waste of time- something I may not have much of."

Roxanne's annoyance faded, but she persisted.

"Then don't sit. Stand if you like. Keep working." She relented, "But_ please_," her voice turned pleading, desperate to get through to him. "Please just eat something. It won't do anyone any good for you to starve yourself like this."

Megamind paused, arms braced against the desk, his eyes staring blankly at the maps before him; not working, but not acknowledging her either. Roxanne wasn't sure what to make of it; Megamind so typically wore his heart on his sleeve, that she never had to guess at what he may be feeling.

Not having anything to go on, and feeling increasingly uneasy over the silence, she forged ahead.

"I made you something," she told him, as he had yet to even glance at her, or the plate in her hands. "Nothing fancy- just a sandwich."

A thought came to her suddenly and she felt tears sting her eyes.

_'Minion would have cooked.''_

She had never had much luck in the kitchen, her culinary skills limited to sandwiches, cereals, and scrambled eggs. Minion, however, proved to be quite an impressive little chef, and since moving into the lair she no longer considered 'take out' as its own major food group. Minion was more than delighted to cook for her, happy to have a second opinion- as Megamind seemed to deem all his cooking as 'sensational' but with only prison food for comparison.

After discovering some of her personal favorite dishes, Minion would sometimes surprise her- usually with some extravagant desert after particularly hard days at work. She had joked once that he was trying to make her fat, and she still smiled at the memory of both Minion and Megamind furiously denying that such a thing was possible.

So lost within these thoughts she was startled when Megamind finally spoke.

"I'm not hungry."

Roxanne blinked out of her daze, and frowned.

"Megamind-"

"Just leave the plate." he interrupted, moving his hands up to rub his face, teetering slightly off balance as he did so. "I might get around to it- maybe eat half."

Roxanne opened her mouth to argue but stopped, knowing this was probably the best offer she would get from the hero- thinking again, sadly, that Minion would probably have been able to get him to eat more.

She set the plate down, but made sure it was close and within his sights.

She glanced down at the maps, X's over several locations, circles over others, notes scribbled frantically in odd places.

She sighed.

"Megamind, I-"

A siren sound came from the other side of the room lined with monitors, accompanied by a red blinking light, and Megamind reacted with a sudden burst of energy.

"The alarm!" he gasped, turning to run over toward to monitors. "They've found something!"

Roxanne held her breath, closing her eyes as she prayed that this wouldn't be yet another false alarm- she couldn't take it…seeing the hope rise in his deep green eyes, hearing the relief and longing in his voice, only to-

"No!"

She flinched at Megamind frustrated yell and the sound of his fist pounding against the console, her arms wrapping around herself as if to ward off a chill.

"Stupid, incompetent machine!" he raged, voice full of venom. "I don't care how low your power source is running- this frequency is for emergencies only! If you have nothing of value to report, then you yourself are not of value."

She had never heard Megamind so angry, so cruel- even as a villain- and she had certainly never heard him speak so negatively to any of the Brainbots before. Scold them for biting and chewing on wires, yes, but not…this.

Another frustrated yell, fists pounding against metal, and then silence.

Roxanne opened her eyes, lifting her head to look at him.

He was leaning heavily against the console, panting from his outburst, shoulders hunched.

Her heart lurched at the sight, and she found herself making her way toward him.

"Megamind…," she came up behind him, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. _"Syx?_"

She leaned forward trying to see his face better, but as she took in his dull green eyes, and the dark circles that framed them, she wished she hadn't. She had never seen him look so…hopeless.

"It'll be okay, you'll see." she spoke in a gentle reassuring tone, her hand stroking his back in a soothing manner. "Something will turn up soon."

Megamind's green eyes closed tight, his voice coming out tired and strained.

"It's been almost four_ days _now."

Roxanne swallowed the lump in her own throat, blinking back tears once again.

"I-I know," she agreed softly, and then continued cautiously, "You haven't slept since, have you."

Megamind didn't deny it; couldn't deny it.

Roxanne braced herself before saying her next words.

"I think you need to take a break; get some rest."

Just as she expected Megamind tensed, jerking away from her touch, his green eyes snapping open to glare at her in betrayal.

"I'm not giving up." he stated defiantly, his voice much stronger now.

"And I'm not asking you to," Roxanne replied, upset that he would even think so. "You know that's not what I want."

"But you want me to go to bed as if everything is fine," he countered, shaking his head in frustration. "I refuse to rest until I've found him!"

"And then what? Collapse in exhaustion?" she demanded. "You can't keep this up."

"Oh, what do _you _know?" he demanded, turning toward her with such an angry and defensive expression. "It must be so easy for you to stand here and expect me to just..just..give up and move on! Like it even matters to you!"

For a moment the shock of such an accusation left her breathless, but the hurt and anger that followed gave her strength.

"Do you even hear yourself?" She asked, feeling tears prickle at the corner of her eyes. "Do you honestly think you're the only one who cares about him?"

"If you had the slightest idea of how I felt, you wouldn't even be suggesting that I stop searching!" he countered, "How could you possibly understand? You've always had people in your life that cared about you, that looked out for you! I've only ever had him! So you can't-"

"I miss Minion too!" Roxanne cried, and the tears she had desperately been trying to hold back finally slid down her cheeks.

At hearing his best friend's name, Megamind seemed to freeze, his face paling, and his eyes widening.

"I miss him too," she repeated brokenly. "But you won't do him or anyone else any good if you're like this!"

She shook her head, choking back at sob.

"He wouldn't want this! You know he wouldn't!" she closed her eyes, face hot and tears still sliding down her cheeks. "He'd _hate _to see you like this…and if he were here-"

_"Stop it!_"

Rough hands gripped her upper arms, and with a gasp her eyes flew open- hardly recognizing the piercing green eyes glaring down at her: angry, desperate.

"Stop saying those..those_ things_!"

Her heart raced, her eyes widened, and she realized with a start that she was…afraid. She had never been afraid of him before, even when he'd been the villain; annoyed, exasperated, and secretly amused, but not afraid.

"S-syx?"

Her voice shook, actually_ shook,_and despite how much she hated how small and frightened she sounded, she was amazed at the effect it seemed to have on him.

It was as if Megamind were suddenly aware of himself again- his voice, his actions. His eyes widened and he pulled away from her as if he were burned, staring for a moment in some kind of mute horror.

"I..R-Roxanne.." sorrow replaced the fear and shock on his face and he shook his head, taking a few hesitant steps backwards.

In his weakened state he stumbled back and barely managed to catch himself before he fell. On instinct Roxanne moved forward to help-

"_Don't_!" Megamind protested, his voice a harsh, pleading whisper. "Please, don't."

He glanced up at her briefly, his green eyes bright with unshed tears and filled with guilt and shame over how he had just acted toward her. He looked more like himself in that moment than he had in days, despite the vulnerability, and it made Roxanne want to embrace him all the more.

His position, as well as the look on his face clearly stated that he wouldn't respond well to being hugged, so she stood her ground, offering only a soft concerned gaze.

"Syx?" she ventured softly, "Are you okay?"

She felt foolish for asking- since clearly, he wasn't- but her concern was overwhelming at the moment and the question had simply poured out of her.

Megamind sighed, standing from his slouched position and bracing himself against the console, he shook his head resolutely.

"No." his voice was thin and scratchy. "I..I'm not okay. I'm not certain I can ever be okay again."

Those words felt like a physical blow to her heart, and Roxanne found herself once again fighting back tears, and wondering when she had become such a pathetically weepy person.

"Megamind, I-"

"Please." he finally met her gaze, his expression weary yet pleading. "I promise I'll…I'll rest later. I'll eat. I promise. But I-" he paused, closing his eyes briefly as if in pain. "I _have _to do this; I have to."

How much more could her heart take, she wondered, seeing him like this. She let out a deep sigh, the last of her energy drained.

"…Okay," Roxanne whispered, more to herself that to him.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to compose herself, flexing her fingers which had seemed almost numb.

"Okay." she looked back up at him, solemnly. "I understand this is something you have to do and I…I won't keep you from it, but," Megamind's green eyes darted towards her again. "I hope you know that I'm…that _I'm still here_." Roxanne emphasized the last part, almost pleading with him. "Please don't _ever _forget that."

Megamind eyes widened slightly, he opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came, and finally he settled on a shaky nod before turning to look away from her.

Roxanne sighed, whispered a sad goodnight to her love, and turned to exit the room; exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally.

(Small page break)

Getting ready for bed seemed to take an eternity, and she wondered despite her exhaustion, if she would get any sleep at all. The lair felt so empty the past few days, so silent; not even the sound of Brainbots lingering around doing odd jobs, and every room reminded her of Minion; held some memory of him.

She sighed as she settled on the edge of the bed, bringing a hand up to her face to rub her burning eyes. Even the bedroom felt like a tomb; and she was so tired of sleeping alone, so tired of…everything.

_'I can't take all this not knowing' _she thought. _'And it has to be ten times worse for him; he's so use to knowing everything, or being able to come up with a solution to any problem quickly.'_

As much as she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about it, her mind jumping from Minion to Megamind and back again, and she wasn't sure who she was more worried about.

_'I should sleep' _she acknowledged. _'If I miss work, or go in all exhausted again…I'll probably risk being fired._'

Even as she thought this, she realized she didn't really care; she'd quit her job in a heart beat if she thought it would solve anything, or if Megamind actually acted as if he needed her around. She was trying so hard to be there for him and…

_'I don't know what to do.' _she admitted to herself, feeling like crying once again. _'He won't let me in. I thought…I thought we were past all that.'_

With another shaky breath she moved to get under the covers, startled when the bedroom door came open with a timid creak.

Her eyes widened and she froze, her heart skipping almost hopefully as Megamind took a weary, timid step inside. He seemed unsteady on his feet, and when he looked up at her with dark rimmed eyes, his expression was an open book laid out before her: Sadness, exhaustion, defeat, guilt.

"I-" he paused for a moment, and then let out a deep weary sigh, closing his eyes.

"I'm tired." he confessed softly, and that was all the incentive she needed.

Roxanne was up in an instant, making her way towards him, all her previous fatigue abandoned. He was still giving her that tired, heart wrenching expression, and Roxanne didn't hesitate to embrace him as she had wanted to do so many times before.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her face into his collar, just holding on for all she was worth. He almost lost his balance when she did so, but didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around her back and shoulders, leaning his face down and resting his cheek against her soft hair. His grip was loose at first, but then gained strength, as if he were suddenly aware of how badly he had needed this and was now afraid to lose it.

"Roxanne," he whispered, his voice shaky. "I'm _sorry._"

Roxanne gently shushed him, rubbing her hands up and down his back reassuringly. When she felt Megamind's legs start to give out, she was quick to support him, sliding an arm around his waist.

"Hey, easy now," she offered a timid smile as she allowed him to lean on her. "Lets get you to bed, okay?"

Megamind blinked at her tiredly and nodded, exhaustion clearly taking over.

Roxanne lead him slowly toward the bed, concerned by his sudden docile behavior; his eyes vacant, and his movements almost zombie like. He managed to pull away from her and take a seat heavily on the edge of the bed, starring down at nothing.

Roxanne went to work on carefully removing his boots, setting them aside, and helping Megamind remove his gloves; he had started to do so himself, but his pace was incredibly slow. She set them on the night stand and looked back at him, reaching out to lay a gentle hand upon his cheek.

Megamind jerked slightly at the contact and his eyes met hers; the shining green orbs reflecting the vulnerability of a lost child.

"Let's get in bed, okay sweetie?" She spoke to him as if he were made of glass; and honestly, looking at him, she wondered if he hadn't already broken.

Still, he nodded, responding well to what he once would have considered a 'demeaning' tone, and moving to pull the covers back. Roxanne stood and made her way to the other side of the bed, climbing in.

She turned on her side to face him, as he had done the same, with a small space separating them; his eyes were still open, starring down at the dark blue sheets blankly.

Just as Roxanne was contemplating scooting closer towards him, Megamind surprised her by making the first move; sliding himself slowly across the sheet, green eyes glancing up, and asking for permission- it had been a long time since he had shown such uncertainty about being near her, and she realized he was still feeling guilty about his previous behavior.

"It's okay," she told him, still in that same careful tone. "I'm not mad, honey. Come here."

Relief coursed through him, evident in the way he sighed and his eyes shone with the vague remembrance of gratitude. She was a bit surprised when he didn't put his arms around her, and in stead, lowered his head so that his face was pressed against her stomach, his body curling into a fetal position.

She brought one arm around his back, and his hands gripped the front of her nightgown almost desperately.

"_Roxanne_," his voice was muffled against fabric, but unmistakably in the silence of the room.

"Yes?" she asked, her hand stroking up and down his back as she had done before.

"I don't…I don't know what else to..to _do_."

Her hand froze and she glanced down at him as he pulled back enough to tilt his head up at her; her heart broke at the sight of actually tears in his emerald eyes- despite all that had happened in just the last few days, she had never seen him openly cry.

"Oh, _Syx_," she murmured, and all at once it seemed too much for the blue alien.

He buried his head against her again, the unmistakable sound of a sob coming from his throat, his body heaved as he clung to her. With tears in her own eyes, Roxanne whispered gentle words of encouragement, her hand lovingly stroking his head; something he had once admitted gave him comfort.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, praying silently that her words would ring true, wanting to believe them herself. "You just need to rest. You can't think clearly like this, you'll see." She planted soft kisses on the top of his head and forehead. "It'll be okay. Shhh, now, it's okay. I'm here."

He moved his arms to encircle her waist, pulling her closer to himself.

"Please s-stay." he whispered brokenly. "Roxanne,_ please_."

Fresh new tears coursed down her face and her chest shuddered as she held back a sob of her own, her mouth trembling.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered fiercely, fighting to keep her voice and hand steady. "I'm right here, okay?"

He nodded against her, fighting to gain control of his own rapid breathing. He concentrated on the feel of Roxanne's lips against his skin, and the smooth motion of her hand against his back, his neck, his head. She was still speaking, whispering words of comfort between soft kisses, but he could only make out the gentle tones now and not the actual words.

He knew he had pushed himself beyond his limit, and he knew also that Roxanne had been right; Minion wouldn't have wanted him to do this. He could hear his friends voice now, that look of parental disapproval on his face.

_'Sir, this is crazy; you need to get some rest.' robotic arms crossed, Minion's brown eyes reflected exasperation but also deep concern. 'I'm only trying to look out for you.'_

The ache in his heart increased, the worry for his friend crashing against him in wave after wave, making him feel almost ill. Darkness pulled at the corner of his mind, promising him relief, and he surrendered to it gratefully.

Roxanne continued to offer what little reassurance she could, watching as Megamind's breathing began to even out, hearing him mumble Minion's name before he drifted off to sleep, still pressed against her.

She sighed, reaching down as best she could to tug the covers over him, and then returning to gently stroking his head; now for her own comfort rather than his. He looked like a child, curled up against her like he was; then again, Minion had been somewhat of a surrogate parent to him- as well as friend, and a confidant- so perhaps Megamind did feel rather like a kid without him.

With a heavy heart, Roxanne prayed again for his safe return, and for Megamind's own well being. She wondered if Minion realized how much his master cared for him, and the void he was leaving behind… not just in Megamind's life….but _hers _as well.

Minion and Megamind had become her family, she _cherished _them, and couldn't deny that she was a bit protective over the two; Although they both seemed amused whenever she expressed such concerns out loud. Megamind usually laughed and proclaimed that it was his job as a hero- as well as her boyfriend- to be the 'protector', and so her concern- although adorable- was unfounded. And Minion?

_"Sir's right, Miss Ritchi," He assured her, although with a bit more grace than Megamind had. "You don't have to worry about us. And Sir would never let anything happen to you; I wouldn't either, for that matter. I promise."_

"Oh, Minion," she thought out loud, glancing wearily up at the ceiling as if the answers to all her question were held there. "Where_ are _you?"

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><p><strong>Okay everyone! Calm down! Not once did I actually clarify that Minion was dead- just...missing.<strong>

**I mentioned (for those who are part of the Megamind community on LJ, which is my reason for posting this)...probably over a month ago that I had a plot bunny in my head and this is it! No, I was not planning on killing Minion! Will I continue? Well...if anyone recall the previously mentioned post, I think I said that I was at a loss of how to write the whole story.**

**I started a brief second chapter with Minion, but...*sigh* I'd have to develop my own bad guy and I majorly suck at that. So many plot holes! **

**The idea that started this was "What would Megamind do if anything happened to Minion?", but of course I love the little fish too much to have him die. So my next thought was 'He was kidnapped. Simple and brilliant and Predictable!"**

**I think as the new hero of Metro City that Megamind would initially assume that 'Roxanne' would be the victim of kidnappings, so he would not see this coming -neither would poor Minion. Then the next thought was, "No Ransom call...why?"...Well, what if the kidnapper wasn't interested in messing with Megamind, or luring him into a trap, or whatever: What if...he was interested in just _Minion_? Creepy psychotic guy fascinated with ocean life, and obsessed with finding a connection between humans and fish (possibly even kicked out of a famous university for his unorthodox experiments, eh?). You can Imagine his interest in Minion then, right? Talking fish with human'like mannerisms and such.**

**Well this was as far as I got with the idea- i don't have the brains to think of how the guy actually manged to take Minion, or why he's has thus far eluded Megamind- I also didn't know what Brilliant epiphany Megamind should have to realize who had taken Minion or where he was (although I toyed with the idea of a psychic connection via dreams). And don't get me started on the heroic rescue- i am the worst with action scenes.  
><strong>

**So...I'm going to let this stand as a one-shot by itself. But I don't mind putting it up for adoption too(I know, it's beyond sad *sobs*). Feedback is nice! **


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